Weaners arrive

thomas rubino

pollinator

Posts: 853

Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A

46

posted 5 months ago

1

Hi All: Mid may and I'm just getting my piggys. Normally I would have them in early march. Heavy snow that took forever to recede, pasture that refused to green up. All is ready now. Starting this late i'll plan on butchering in late October. All girls this year , Rosemary , Sage and Fennel.

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3 three little piggys

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Rosemary

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sage and fennel

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Rotational pens looking green

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apple trees in bloom

Not all who wander are lost... J.R.R. Tolkien

Hester Winterbourne

Posts: 219

Location: West Midlands UK (zone 8b)

16

posted 5 months ago

Those noses are made for digging!

Dana Jones

Posts: 126

1

posted 5 months ago

Good luck with your pigs! I'm in Texas where it is HOT! I raised my first pigs through the winter, which is mild here. I messed up and am raising pigs in the summer now. Never again! I guess if you had winter pigs, they would use all their feed to stay warm! Nice looking piggies, hope they grow off well for you!

thomas rubino

pollinator

Posts: 853

Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A

46

posted 4 months ago

Well those noses sure have been busy digging... and the other end is fertilizing....7 days and over 1/2 of the main pen is tilled ! With the rotation pens , the first pen will be ready to eat again in the time it takes for them to till the other three.

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Not all who wander are lost... J.R.R. Tolkien

thomas rubino

pollinator

Posts: 853

Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A

46

posted 3 months ago

1

Hi All : Been about 7 weeks now since the weaners arrived. Boy are they growing ! I don't think I could lift them up and carry them around anymore ! They have eaten, pooped and tilled their way thru their main paddock and the summer house plot as well as eating/digging most of their way through the clover / comfrey plot! The apple patch and a rye paddock await them. I moved the gas tiller into the summer house pen and will reseed with buckwheat and clover.

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Little oinkers not so little anymore

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The summer house pen in need of a reseed

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The apple patch ready to eat

Not all who wander are lost... J.R.R. Tolkien

Dana Jones

Posts: 126

1

posted 3 months ago

1

They sure are growing. We wound up slaughtering ours ourselves. It wasn't too bad, I would do it again.

I love your system, Thomas. They certainly do a number on the land, don't they? I love that they do the hard work for you and get the soil ready for your next crop.

Post Tenebras Lux

Until further notice, we will celebrate everything.

thomas rubino

pollinator

Posts: 853

Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A

46

posted 3 months ago

LOL; Looks like a bombing range in there when they are done in a pen. Quick till and a reseed and its coming up green in no time! Rotational pens are a great way to utilize your land ... and the piggys are SO.. excited when they get allowed into a new paddock!

Not all who wander are lost... J.R.R. Tolkien

Joylynn Hardesty

pollinator

Posts: 291

Location: Officially Zone 7b, according to personal obsevations I live in 7a, SW Tennessee

27

posted 3 months ago

thomas rubino wrote:Quick till and a reseed and its coming up green in no time!

Mechanized tilling after the piggies is so your land retains a smoothish surface?

thomas rubino

pollinator

Posts: 853

Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A

46

posted 3 months ago

Yes, also to break up the compacted areas where they were laying. And it keeps any water from puddling.

Not all who wander are lost... J.R.R. Tolkien

Karen Klingenberg

Posts: 1

posted 2 months ago

thomas rubino wrote:Hi All: Mid may and I'm just getting my piggys. Normally I would have them in early march. Heavy snow that took forever to recede, pasture that refused to green up. All is ready now. Starting this late i'll plan on butchering in late October. All girls this year , Rosemary , Sage and Fennel.